By Diana Carlen WAWG Lobbyist Today marks the 69th day of the 2021 Legislative Session. The Legislature is busy meeting in policy committees, holding public hearings and voting on bills that the opposite chamber approved. Bills need to pass out of their respective policy committees by March 26 to continue to advance through the legislative process. Several major issues must ... Read More »

From the Capital Press In some sense, it’s difficult to argue against the “fairness” of paying farmworkers overtime. Time has value, and in an ideal world every employee’s time would be held equally dear. In the real world, however, things aren’t that neat and other factors come into play. The Fair Labor Standards Act, passed by Congress in 1938, established ... Read More »

U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) and the National Association of Wheat Growers (NAWG) welcome the U.S. Senate’s confirmation of Katherine Tai today as the next U.S. Trade Representative. During the confirmation hearing process, Tai said she understands the values and rules that guide global commerce and the importance of enforcing those terms “vigorously.” Most encouraging is Tai’s past work as a chief ... Read More »

Jim Moyer, a grower from Columbia County and a WAWG board member, testified in front of the Senate Ways and Means Committee on SB 5126, a Climate Commitment Act (implementing a cap and trade program), and SB 5096, a capital gains tax. Here is his testimony: SB 5126 Good morning Chair Rolfes, Ranking Member Wilson and members of the Committee: ... Read More »

By Dr. Xianming Chen Based on the predication models using the weather data from Nov. 1, 2020, to Feb. 28, 2021, wheat stripe rust is forecasted to be in the low end of the normal epidemic level range (20-40 percent yield loss) in the 2021 growing season. The models predicted highly susceptible varieties to have 22 percent yield loss. This number ... Read More »

Yesterday marked the 63rd day of the 2021 Legislative Session. On Tuesday, March 9, the Legislature reached a milestone—the deadline to pass bills out of the house of origin which means House Bills must be voted out of the House and Senate Bills must be voted out of the Senate. Bills that did not meet that deadline are considered dead ... Read More »

American farmers and rural businesses need continued investment in the Market Access Program (MAP) and the Foreign Market Development (FMD) Program to make up for lost export opportunities in the pandemic and to fight foreign competition. That is the message the Coalition to Promote U.S. Agricultural Exports sent March 9, 2021, in letters to House and Senate Agricultural Appropriations Subcommittee ... Read More »

Ryan Poe, president of the Washington Association of Wheat Growers, testified today in support of HB 1199, compensation for the Washington State Department of Natural Resources terminating agricultural leases early, in a hearing in the Senate Agriculture, Water, Natural Resources and Park Committee. Here is his testimony: Good morning Chair Van De Wege, Ranking Member Warnick and members of the Committee: For ... Read More »

Michele Kiesz, a grower from Adams County and a Washington Association of Wheat Growers board member, testified this morning in front of the Senate Environment, Energy and Technology Committee against E3SHB 1091, a bill that would reduce greenhouse gas emissions by reducing the carbon intensity of transportation field (a low carbon fuel standard, or LCFS, bill). Here is her testimony: ... Read More »

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is extending the deadline from March 5 to April 9 for agricultural producers to apply for the Quality Loss Adjustment (QLA) Program because of recent winter storms and some clarifications to program rules. This program assists producers who suffered crop quality losses due to qualifying 2018 and 2019 natural disasters. “Because of recent winter ... Read More »